This application relates to the production of N-acyl substituted oxazolidines. Such compounds are described in a number of patents, including for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,707,541, 3,959,304, 3,989,503, 4,072,688 and 4,137,070. Such compounds in general have the formula ##STR4## in which R can be variously alkyl, haloalkyl, thioalkyl or haloalkenyl, R.sub.1 can be hydrogen, alkenyl, phenyl or substituted phenyl, R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 hydrogen or alkyl, R.sub.5 hydrogen, alkyl or phenyl and R.sub.6 hydrogen or alkyl. As described in these and other patents and publications, such compounds may find use as herbicides and/or herbicidal antidotes, the latter in combination with various types of herbicides.
In general, the process for the production of such compounds as given in those patents involved the reaction of an alkanolamine having the formula ##STR5## with a carbonyl compound having the formula ##STR6## to produce an oxazolidine followed by acylation using a compound having the formula RCOX, in which X is a halogen. (R-R.sub.6 being defined as above). Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,284 describes an improvement in conducting such a process in which the acylation step is conducted in the presence of water.